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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

taking baby in to work while on mat leave?

43 replies

Mammie81 · 21/06/2011 11:49

How many of you did this? I havent yet, my DS is only 6 months, I commute, BF until recently blah blah blah, lots of reasons why I waited.

Any way Ive had to fight fires with emails from colleagues saying they'd 'heard' i wasnt coming back because I havent been in or been in touch? I emailed my manager when the baby was born and have sent an email with an update since but Im aware they are all v. busy and my baby isnt top of their to-do list!

So is it that normal to go in to visit whilst on mat leave? I didnt think not going in for 6 months would be cause to assume I wasnt coming back!

OP posts:

EnolaAlone · 21/06/2011 20:16

At my workplace, most people take their baby in to show off when they're less than a month old. People definitely thought it was a bit odd that I didn't take DS in to show him off until he was five months old! I only took him in because people were desperate to see him. I popped into work again when he was ten months old - I was meeting my manager to discuss going part time - and everyone was really disappointed I'd left DS at home with DH!

Psocid · 21/06/2011 20:24

Think of it another way.

They heard the announcement you were pregnant. They watched you grow. They laughed with you when you started to waddle. Then you left with their good wishes. They actually want to see the result.

I have a large department, we currently have 3 pregnant and 2 on maternity leave. We NEED to coo over the babies.

I agree though, short visit, over lunchbreak maybe, just long enough for folks who want to squeeze a dimply fist.

One of our maternity leave people left it 5 months to bring in the baby, we were a bit ...... left out. We had spent 8 hours every day with her and her bump, we needed to see and squidge and generally get nostalgic

springbokscantjump · 21/06/2011 20:31

Oh I didn't go in. Some people were surprised but I don't work in an office and my son isn't a parcel to be handed round upteen people.

shuffleballchange · 21/06/2011 20:43

I go in at least once every two weeks. I'm very lucky, I have really lovely colleagues and I only live about 30 minutes walk away.

tigermummy35 · 21/06/2011 20:52

I took DS in when he was about 4 or 5 weeks old. My colleagues had been itching to meet him and my boss was threatening wanted to come to our house....

Original poster

Mammie81 · 21/06/2011 20:56

The funniest email said 'I hear you arent coming back! Great move! Ive never looked back!'

Me : Er, where'd you hear that? I AM coming back!

Friend : Oh its great there. You'll love it.

OP posts:

MollyMurphy · 21/06/2011 20:59

I didn't want to but I felt pressue to so I did it in the end. I just seem like it was what I was supposed to do....and I felt like I needed to remind my employers that I'd be coming back (I'm not sure why). It made me uncomfortable - they were working and I was just there just to visit. I doubt they cared but that is how I felt.

Now I meet my freind from work at the restaurant and skip the office. I'll see it plenty soon enough.

bringinghomethebacon · 21/06/2011 21:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheArmadillo · 21/06/2011 21:08

I took mine in both times. In my current place of work it would have been considerred unforgiveably rude not to considering how they supported me through pregnancy and they gave me a lovely present and I do generally get on with them. I actually ended up going in every couple of weeks, but that was for other reasons some work related, some not (e.g. i registered her birth there).

If I worked with those who weren't interested or weren't supportive then I wouldn't make the same effort.

PedigreeChump · 21/06/2011 21:15

At my work (and previous workplaces) babies have always been brought in for cooing over. Usually when they are pretty tiny. Men and women.

LadyFlumpalot · 21/06/2011 21:16

bringinghomethebacon - I would love to take the full year but I just can't afford it. Sigh.

LadyFlumpalot · 21/06/2011 21:17

Just re-read that and it comes across a bit confrontational - not how it was intended at all!

AuntiePickleBottom · 21/06/2011 21:37

i work in a hospital, so people from work visited the next day. However after leaving the hospital i only take the kid there if the need to go to a&e...far too many infections for a baby

beanandspud · 21/06/2011 21:42

I didn't take DS into work, it just didn't seem right at the time and it's not a 'traditional' office environment.

My boss did come to see me at home while I was on mat leave and took me and DS out for lunch which was lovely. I kept in touch through phone and email and it made coming back much easier.

Groovee · 21/06/2011 21:44

I visited work quite a lot but I worked in a private nursery and my children there missed me and loved me bringing the baby in as our baby room babies were much older and the wildest of boys became so gentle. I also loved keeping in touch, hence why I found it so hard to tell them I wasn't returning.

Beamur · 21/06/2011 21:48

I popped in with DD after a few weeks, everyone had a squeeze and was pleased to see us, I also took her with me (having asked first if it was ok) to a couple of team meetings when it got nearer to me going back - my team meetings are fairly relaxed and this was not a problem. DP also wanted to take her into his office too as a lot of his colleagues were keen to see her.
Not everywhere is so accommodating (there is a feeding and changing room in my office building too) but also you might not want to be engaging with work while you're on leave.

bringinghomethebacon · 21/06/2011 21:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BikeRunSki · 21/06/2011 21:55

In my office it is expected - men too! My line manager can always sniff out a baby in the building!
If you stay more than a few minutes it counts as a KIT day.
My line manager and some of our field teams came to visit me at home too.
I have 2 ladies currently on mat leave in my team, and they have both been in for lunch (we have a canteen, but also team Christmas lunch) and team meetings.
I fully intend to do something similar when I am on mat leave 2 later this year.

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